The entry period will run from February 16th to the 28th. Purchase the free ticket from the link provided with your JP PSN account and be enrolled in a lottery. If you are chosen, you will receive an email on March 9 from Bandai Namco with the product code to download the closed beta.

Each phase will allow you to play with 20 units out of a total 38 throughout the entire period. Aside from network load tests, they will be testing the following gameplay modes:

Player Match

Ultimate Battle

Trial Battle

Free Battle

Good luck to everyone that enters and hopefully see you on the battlefield!

The full report on the Gundam Versus Alpha test has finally been published over at 4gamer, giving us a better picture on what to expect from the latest game in the VS series. We initially talked about early impressions in a previous article, so it’s nice to see confirmation on how the game will be played. There’s definitely an air of familiarity when looking at the main battle screen if you’ve played previous VS games, but there are some nice quality of life changes already apparent. The HUD does not seem as cluttered as before with team health bar taking up a smaller footprint and partner health being more visible than before (an addition made in Maxi Boost ON). Of course, this doesn’t take into account the custom HUDs that can be sometimes pretty garish, but it’s nice to see a cleaner approach. Striker units are also added below the boost gauge.

Like the previous EXVS series, the step and boost dash cancels are back. What’s new is the inclusion of the Boost Dive mechanic that allows players to immediately drop towards the floor to improve mobility and defensive maneuverability. It still hasn’t been mentioned how you activate the Boost Dive, but it does work just like step and boost dashes in terms of canceling moves as well.

The Striker system is new take on the assists seen in previous games as you are allowed two selectable units in the alpha version. Striker units are also classified as either “shooting” or “fighting” as well, so you have an idea of what kind of assist they’ll provide. As this is only the alpha version, expect more balancing and possibly even more types like a defensive version.

In terms of Awakening types, the two that could be chosen were the Blaze Gear and Lightning Gear. The Blaze Gear provided a more short term performance increase whereas the Lightning Gear gave a longer lasting buff with an increased lock-on distance. Both types replenished the boost gauge when activated, but the Lightning Gear also recovered ammo as well. Like previous VS games, the type of Gear used will depend on what unit you select. And as always, activating your Gear will give you access to use your super attack, now known as the Awakening Technique.

According to the 4gamer report, the new additions have definitely helped deepen the core gameplay versus earlier versions. Even if you weren’t able to grasp the new Boost Dive and Striker mechanics yet, the you’d still be able to enjoy it due to the familiarity. They were also impressed with the improved graphics and presentation in its early access form. We’re definitely looking forward to hearing how the Gundam Versus team does plan on specializing this particular version for the home market as the alpha test focused primarily on the 2v2 core gameplay the VS series has become well known for.

The Boost Dive allows you to fall to the ground very quickly and is activated by cancelling all of your actions.In the previous EXVS series, some units could fast fall via certain cancel routes known in the community as “amekyans.” Considering the verticality of the VS series and how useful amekyans were in terms of mobility and safety for many units, adding a universal fast fall adds a nice new dynamic to the Gundam VS metagame.

The Striker System allows you to choose units like Balls and GMs to be called upon during matches as assists. In order to use a Striker, you will activate a Striker gauge that fills during the match. It will be interesting to see if the Striker units may perhaps go beyond the fodder type or will use different amounts of Striker gauges depending on the assist.

The Awakening System appears to be another evolution of a staple VS mechanic where players could select either the “Blaze” or “Lightning” Gear. The Blaze Gear is an instantaneous-type awakening that improves your melee tracking. The Lightning Gear is a continuous-type awakening that increases your lock-on ability. What’s interesting are the types of awakenings “instantaneous” and “continuous.” First, it sounds like there will be more Gears within these groupings. Second, the naming peaks curiosity into how the boosts will be granted when they’re activated. Are instantaneous Gears short-lived buffs with higher potency whereas continuous Gears provide more measured increases over a longer period of time?

In terms of new units, the following have entered the fray: Tallgeese, Kyrios, Gouf, Guncannon, and Sinanju. This brings the current total roster to 12 joining RX-78-02, Unicorn, Full Armor Gundam (Thunderbolt), Barbatos, Wing Zero, and Nu Gundam. As the article will go on sale on December 15, we hope to learn a lot more about the game’s mechanics on top of how they plan to cater the game more towards a global audience.

For those that have been playing MechWarrior Online, it seems that the same studio Piranha Games has also been working on a new mainline game in the series. Titled MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries it’s now made the shift over to Unreal Engine 4, from MechWarrior Online’s CryEngine. In the latest reveal trailer (shown below), we get to see an old Shadow Hawk taken through its paces (shown above). This particular unit is also one not without controversy, as like many of the early BattleTech designs the Shadow Hawk was actually a straight up copy of the Dougram.

Now, when I interviewed Kunio Okawara, the designer behind Dougram, and Rysosuke Takahashi, the writer and director for the series, fairly recently neither seemed that fussed about this kind borrowing of material. However, Takahashi did make a point to say that it was really Sunrise’s call on whether anything should be done about the situation. That said, when I also interviewed Shoji Kawamori about his designs being used in BattleTech he wasn’t best pleased.

In short, even after all these years the BattleTech and subsequent MechWarrior games are still not free of this Unseen controversy. The fact that MechWarrior 5 went with the Shadow Hawk as part of its reveal seems a strangely unnecessary move, when they can clearly design something fresh and new instead (though this version of the Shadow Hawk has already been reworked quite a bit). This is also something of an ongoing issue with the MechWarrior series, as I covered some licensing issues back in 2009.

Personally, I am glad to see a new mainline MechWarrior game but after all the ineptitude surrounding MechWarrior Online I am not holding out any hope that this will be any good. Currently, there is no news of a release date or platform but I am guessing it will make its way to PC at some point.

The free update and paid DLC for the excellent Macross Delta Scramble is finally out and it is really rather great. To commemorate the release, Bandai Namco unveiled a series of new videos about the new content (shown below). Considering that the initial release was somewhat light on content, even after Macross 30, this update is both welcome and necessary. While the free update adds more Macross Delta story missions, the paid DLC covers the Extra missions that are focused on other Macross series. In order to purchase the latter you will need a Japanese PSN account. In any case, if you have a Vita and haven’t bought Macross Delta Scramble already then you should really correct that oversight.

The excellent Macross Delta Scramble on PS Vita will be getting some DLC on November 30th. Not only will this include a free update with additional Macross Delta missions but also separate paid DLC that will include Extra missions from other Macross series. The later DLC will be priced at 1000 yen and will encompass all manner of new mecha, pilots and missions. Naturally, you will need a Japanese PSN account to access the paid DLC. Considering the reduced content was somewhat of an issue in the original release, I am glad Bandai Namco are funding Artdink to rectify matters. If you haven’t done so already, you can import the game here.

With the Full Armor Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt already in the Maxi Boost On roster, it wasn’t going to be too long until the titular Zeon antagonist unit was added as well. The Psycho Zaku joins the EXVS series in all its obscene glory as a very mobile long range 2500 cost unit. Aside from the expected menagerie of artillery attacks due to its given arsenal, it has a nice array of lateral movement options when using its secondary weapons and melee attacks to always keep you on the move similar to Full Armor Unicorn’s side bazookas. While an official teaser vid hasn’t been released, you can check out a fair amount of gameplay via NicoNico here.

Next up, the Astray Red Frame has been given a brand new burst attack thanks to the upcoming release of a new Metal Build Astray Red Frame Powered Red version with the ridiculous 150 Gerbera Straight cannon. It’s always good to see older units get an upgrade when a game initially releases, so seeing something like this appear well into Maxi Boost On’s lifespan is interesting. I suppose this does make more sense as we will probably not see another home version of the EXVS series released with the new Gundam Versus PS4 taking the reigns in its stead.

In a new video on the Bandai Metal Build F91 page (also shown below), we have finally been given more details about the upcoming toy. Besides its elegant silhouette, the toy will also have four main points that gives it a distinction from previous Metal Builds. It is the first toy in the range to utilize etched parts, which allow for more detail than its counterparts. In addition, it will also be given the V.S.B.R, a brand new gimmick from the designer Kunio Okawara, which is a metallic rifle that also extends to reveal much more. Up next are the heat-radiating fins, which protrude from the shoulder pads. The final point is that you have the ability to open the face of the F91 (which is my favorite feature of the four, because when was the last time you saw a Gundam without its mask?). The Metal Build F91 will be released April 2017 for the price of 20,520 yen. Until then, I’ll keep you in the loop with any further updates.

Macross Delta Scramble is finally released on the Vita in Japan today. This is a continuation of Studio Artdink’s solid Macross games on PSP, as well as their PS3 game Macross 30. From what I’ve played of the game thus far, it is more inline with their older PSP games and is much faster paced as well as more functionally immediate compared to Macross 30. It also looks surprisingly good for a Vita game and runs very smoothly. I can only hope this will be the start of a new series of Vita based Macross games by the studio. With any luck, I’ll get around to reviewing Macross Delta Scramble in the next few weeks. You can import the game here.